The Palazzo Cusani is a palace at Piazzale San Francesco #1 in the central

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

region of

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

, Italy.

History

The palace was constructed around 1450 by the Cusani family. It stands in front of the church of San Francesco del Prato. In 1612 the marchese Galeazzo Cusani donated the building to the Comune of Parma. In 1768, it was given to the

University of Parma The University of Parma () is a public university located in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Organized into nine departments, it is one of the oldest universities in the world. As of 2016, it had approximately 26,000 students. History During the ...

. Ten years later, the Duke Ferdinando di Borbone housed the Duchy's mint (Zecca) in the palace. In 1820 the duchess Maria Luigia installed the courts in the palace. From 1924 to 1983, the palace housed a middle school. The earthquake that year forced relocation of the school and reconstruction of the site. The simple brick palace is now a library and an archive for music and theater, and is known as the ''Casa dell Musica'', and includes an auditorium and other performance halls. The site also houses the National Institute of ''Studi Verdiani'' (National Institute for

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...

Studies).Comune of Parma
Tourism office.

References

Cusani Renaissance architecture in Parma Buildings and structures completed in 1450 {{Italy-palace-stub